In the wake of a blowout 134-page ruling by an administrative judge, the City of West Palm Beach seems to be running out of options to forestall the long-awaited extension of State Road 7 from 60th Street North to Northlake Blvd.
Judge Francine Ffolkes ruled in favor of the Florida Department of Transportation on every issue related to West Palm Beach’s challenge of an environmental permit for the four-mile, four-lane stretch of road planned to run along the west side of the Grassy Waters Preserve, connecting to Northlake on the east side of the Ibis Golf & Country Club.
“Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and the Conclusions of Law, it is recommended that [the] South Florida Water Management District enter a final order granting” FDOT’s 2023 application, wrote Ffolkes in her May 1 decision.
The ruling could end a decades-long battle over the roadway based on alleged damage it could cause to the Grassy Waters Preserve, from which West Palm Beach draws much of its drinking water.
However, four lanes of Northlake have run through the preserve for years. Many SR 7 advocates say that West Palm Beach is merely kowtowing to a wealthy and well-connected enclave that does not want the traffic nearby.
The Indian Trail Improvement District, which encompasses 110 square miles west of SR 7, would be most impacted by the extension or the continued lack thereof. Traffic stack-ups are an ongoing headache for the 50,000 residents of the semi-rural Acreage community, and those trying to pass through on its labyrinth of two-lane roads, some of which are dirt and gravel.
“I’m ecstatic about the judge’s ruling,” ITID Supervisor Richard Vassalotti said this week. “I pray that it’s going to go through, but let’s just say I’m nervous and a bit skeptical… I’ll believe it when the last coat of asphalt is sealed.”
Both parties have until Monday, May 19 to file an “exception” to the ruling with the SFWMD, Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter said Wednesday. Baxter lives in The Acreage, which is part of ITID.
“I expect the city to appeal, but I would implore the city not to do so,” Baxter said. “It’s just more taxpayer dollars down the drain.”
ITID President Elizabeth Accomando agreed.
“I hope this puts an end to the lawsuits,” Accomando said. “The extension is very important. We absolutely need it.”
As of Wednesday, May 14, no exception was known to be filed. However, attorneys or others representing both sides could not be reached for comment.
“Hopefully it stands… and the South Florida Water Management issues the permit,” ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson said. “It’s a very important segment.”
Westlake City Manager Kenneth Cassel said he was glad to hear of the ruling.
“It’s a badly needed connection,” Cassel said. “It benefits everyone to be able to go through to Northlake. We need as much interconnectivity as possible.”
Incorporated in 2016, Westlake is a fast-growing suburban community accessed by Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and surrounded by ITID.
Cassel was one of 15 members of the Palm Beach County City Management Association chosen for a committee to make long-term transportation improvement recommendations to the Palm Beach County Commission.
While the SR 7 extension would have a big impact, ITID’s Hanson said, “It still doesn’t solve all the issues. We need a fourth east-west route to relieve some of the pressure.”
Currently, the three east-west routes are Northlake, Okeechobee and Southern boulevards. The fourth could be 60th Street North from Seminole Pratt across the northern edge of Westlake, and all the way to SR 7 or beyond — perhaps to 45th Street/North Jog Road in West Palm Beach.
Eventually, 60th Street is likely to also go west from Seminole Pratt to the planned GL Homes development west of Westlake.
Even if West Palm Beach does not file an “exception” with the SFWMD, construction will not begin anytime soon.
FDOT had planned to start the project in 2023 but pushed the start date back to 2029 while awaiting the outcome of the legal battle, which became a seven-week trial spread over two years with 30 witnesses.
FDOT projected the construction cost in 2023 to be approximately $87 million. With the 2029 start date, the projected cost is more than $130 million.
Meanwhile the legal fees for FDOT and West Palm Beach — both of which brought in private counsel — are estimated to stand at between $8 and $18 million.
Both Baxter and Vassalotti bemoaned the amount of money spent on the litigation.
They said the money could have been better spent helping the homeless or creating workforce housing.
“Think about all the good that could have been done with all of that money,” Vassalotti said.
